Major League Soccer resumes on Friday when champions LA Galaxy face Chicago Fire at the StubHub Center, although the first game of their defence is far from the only talking point surrounding the competition's restart... Read more

The two new franchises in MLS, Orlando City and New York City, will face off in the first round of the 2015 season.
MLS unveiled its schedule for the new campaign on Wednesday, featuring an expanded post-season involving 12 teams... Read more

Former Bolton and Wigan manager Owen Coyle is in Houston for talks about becoming the Dynamo's new coach.
The Scot has been without a managerial job since leaving Wigan in December 2013, but looks set to take over at the MLS side... Read more

About

The Houston Dynamo were founded in 2005 as Houston 1836 and competed in their first Major League Soccer season in the 2006 season. The club is owned by AEG, Brener International and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya. It was formed when the San Jose Earthquakes' players and coach were moved to Houston after AEG failed to secure a club stadium in San Jose.

The original name was said to be in reference to the year the city of Houston was founded. However, the name caused controversy, especially amongst the club's hispanic supporters, who noted that 1836 was the year Texas gained independence from Mexico after a war. This led to several protests. As hispanic supporters were considered a major target audience for the new franchise, the decision was made to change the name and the owners settled on Houston Dynamo, which references the former USL team from the area, The Houston Dynamos.

The Houston Dynamo achieved instant success in Major League Soccer, winning the MLS Cup in their first season. A year later, they repeated the success, defeating the same opponents, New England Revolution, in the final. In 2008, Houston won the Western Conference regular season and were runners up in the North American SuperLiga. They reached two more MLS Cup finals in 2011 and 2012, but were unsuccessful on both occasions.

Some of the more notable players to represent the club in its history to date are Dwayne De Rosario, Brad Davis and Stuart Holden. USA international Brian Ching is the team's current record goal scorer.

The Dynamo's home matches are held at the BBVA Compass Stadium, which opened in 2012. The stadium has a capacity of 22,039 and has earned the nickname 'The Oven' as a result of the warm climate, which makes conditions difficult for visiting teams.